There will be no Triple Crown winner this year as Animal Kingdom fell short at the Preakness.  Shackleford beat him by just a half a length in what was an exciting race to watch.  Both horses will run in the third leg of the Triple Crown at the Belmont Stakes this weekend.  

This is the first time since 2005 that the Derby winner and the Preakness winner have gone head to head in the Belmont Stakes.  Last year none of the Derby horses ran in the subsequent races.   This year there are three horses that will have run all three races, Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man and Shackleford. 

The sped up schedule of races seems to be an obstacle for some trainers, with two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness and then three weeks between the Preakness and the Belmont.  Most trainers these days prefer to rest their horses a bit longer between races.  But the trainers for Animal Kingdom, Mucho Macho Man and Shackleford are pushing forward, rather than pampering their horses.

And joining the field at the Belmont will be the Derby fifth place finisher, Master of Hounds.  He is preparing a return trip across the pond from his home in the United Kingdom.  His trainer has said, “Master of Hounds worked well this morning and is on target for the Belmont Stakes on June 11”. 

Tags: horse racing, belmont stakes, animal kingdom, shackleford, mucho macho man
Categories: Sports